Local Samoan Football Star in New Zealand

Joker, who comes from the village of Alamagoto, moved to New Zealand in April 2010.On playing in New Zealand Joker explains: “It’s really nice to play in New Zealand, especially against players from other countries like Argentina, England, South Africa, and the Solomon Islands.” Before joining Upper Hutt, Joker played for Adidas Soccer Club in Samoa during the second half of the 2009/2010 Premier League season. Before joining Adidas, he played for Cruz Azul for three years.Joker has already scored three goals this season, which is impressive considering he plays as a defender. He does however enjoy going forward to score goals should the opportunity present itself, especially during corner kicks. On the style of Football being played in New Zealand Joker added: “The standard of the game here is different compared to back home. The game is much faster and there is a strong emphasis on the first touch of the ball during a game. Players also have to be fit mentally and physically.”Upper Hutt play their football in the Central Premier Division in Wellington and they currently are number one in the standings with 8 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses. Mr. Stetefano also has some advise for football players in Samoa: “My advise is to work and train hard; I can see that there are many opportunities for our players to come and play in New Zealand, especially since Samoans have a lot of skills.”Joker’s dream has always been to play football as a professional and to one-day play at a top club in Europe. He hopes to make the Team Wellington squad for the 2010/2011 NZFC season. With regards to playing for Samoa, he hopes to be selected for the Samoan National Team and to win a gold medal at the 2011 South Pacific Games in New Caledonia. Photo Scource: www.upperhuttcitysoccer.org.nz

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About FFS

Football Federation Samoa (FFS) was founded in 1968. The federation has been through a challenging period in recent years with FIFA setting up a normalisation committee in 2008. A spell of inactivity followed for the next two years as the sport was rebuilt in Samoa but the normalisation period ended at the beginning of 2011 with the election to president of Toetu Petana. Reverend Laupama Solomona is the current President and he is supported in his role by CEO Faumuina Michael Kapisi.